Model Comparison
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Grok-4.20 Beta ReasoningWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning — which is better?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) and Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning (by xAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
On price, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is roughly 2.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning also accepts a larger context window (2,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B if…
- cost matters — it's about 2.2x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 2,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoningdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($0.60/1M tokens) is 3.3x cheaper than Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning ($2.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($3.60/1M tokens) is 1.7x cheaper than Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning ($6.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning is more expensive than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning accepts 2,000,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's 262,144 tokens. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B can generate longer responses up to 64,000 tokens, while Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning is limited to 30,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning
License
Usage and distribution terms
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B was released on 2026-02-16, while Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning was released on 2026-03-09.
Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning is 1 month newer than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.
Feb 16, 2026
3 months ago
Mar 9, 2026
3 months ago
3w newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available from Novita. Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning is available from xAI.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|
FAQ
Common questions about Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Grok-4.20 Beta Reasoning.